Unnatural Disasters
by SupernaturalGeek
Summary: Sequel to my story 'Natural Disasters', although can be read alone. While Dean recuperates the boys find out that even taking a vacation is never simple when you're a Winchester.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: So this is a sequel to my other story 'Natural Disasters'. It's not really necessary to have read that one first although some of the references might make a little more sense if you have! For those who haven't, the basic story was the boys getting caught in an earthquake while on a simple salt & burn mission. Dean got hurt – which gave Sam a bit of a scare - so they decided afterwards to take a vacation, as Dean wanted to see the sights San Francisco had to offer... _

_Before I let you get on with the story, I really must say the biggest thank you to Sarah (Ziggy) and Jules (Mizpah) who's amazing emails to me this week are the reason this is even being posted. Or anything else for that matter. Thank you so, so much, girls:)_

"Dean?"

Sam called his brother's name anxiously as he scanned the empty hotel room. It was nicer than the places they'd usually stayed, as Sam had decided if they were going to take an actual vacation then they would do it properly. Dean's protests that they couldn't afford it had been met with the simple statement that Sam 'had it covered'. Dean's constant pestering about exactly _how _Sam had it covered had been met with silence and in the end he'd had to grudgingly give in and trust that his brother knew what he was doing.

Sam had no intention of telling Dean that he'd sold Jess's engagement ring to get the extra money together. He'd wanted this to be special – Dean deserved it not just for what he'd been through in the last week but for all the times he'd put everyone else first in his life. It was finally Sam's turn to do something for him in return, and he wanted them to be able to enjoy this week without having to look over their shoulders because they were using a fake credit card.

Truth was, it was also just a painful reminder of what would never be - better to try and move past that and at least create something good out of it. The money that would be left over would come in handy too, in case of emergencies. After all, they'd only too many of those lately.

Besides, it had been worth it to see the look on Dean's face when they'd checked in. He'd been thrilled by the flat screen tv which actually had more than 4 channels on it, not to mention the bathroom that was larger than most motel rooms they stayed in and housed a huge bath and steam shower that had Dean practically bouncing with excitement.

Sam had watched with amusement as Dean had explored the whole room exclaiming excitedly at each new luxury he found. They'd checked in an hour ago and Sam had left his brother trawling through the channels on the tv while he went to get some food for them. He hadn't been gone very long but somehow in that time Dean had managed to disappear. Sam felt panic surge in his stomach as he glanced round, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to take out his phone and try to call Dean, he heard the toilet flush. A few moments later the door opened and Dean came out. He looked up, saw Sam standing there, and grinned.

"Hey Sammy. What did you get?" he said, eyeing the bags of food hungrily.

Sam let out a relieved breath and shook his head, mentally berating himself for not thinking of the fact that Dean might just be in the bathroom.

Dean, as always, could read Sam and knew something was wrong. He frowned and took a couple of steps towards his brother.

"You ok? Did something happen?" he said and Sam shook his head, blushing a little.

"No, everything's fine Dean. I just, uh, I was just wondering where you were that's all." he said, trying to sound casual.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Dude, I was in the bathroom. I wasn't aware I needed a note." he said dryly, unable to resist teasing Sam for jumping to conclusions.

Sam rolled his eyes and whacked Dean lightly on the arm as he handed him one of the bags.

"Very funny, Dean. You can't blame me for being a little edgy, you only got out of hospital yesterday." he said.

It was Dean's turn to roll his eyes now as he sat down on one of the beds and eagerly opened the bag.

"Would you quit worrying, Sammy? I told you I'm fine." he said exasperatedly.

"Uh-huh. And I've told you we both have different ideas of what the word 'fine' means." said Sam as he sat on the other bed and opened his own bag.

Dean ignored Sam's comment as he happily took out the tortilla chicken wrap Sam had brought him and took a huge bite.

Sam watched and noted that at least Dean's appetite was unaffected. He still wasn't convinced that Dean shouldn't have stayed in the hospital longer than just 24 hours, but his brother had been adamant about leaving and Sam knew well enough how pointless it was arguing with him when he was in that mood. The doctor had at least reassured him that there was no damage from the pipe Dean had landed on and that thanks to the blood transfusion they'd given him he ought to make a full recovery pretty quickly.

He had been clear about the fact Dean should take it easy for the next couple of weeks though and that was one promise Sam intended to make sure he kept. It was the only reason he'd gone along with Dean leaving the hospital.

So far his brother did seem intent to stick to it, although Sam knew that had more to do with the fact that he was still feeling quite tired and his side was going to be stiff and sore for a while yet.

Dean glanced up and saw he was being studied.

"What?" he said. "I got food on my face or something?"

Sam smiled and shook his head. "No. I was just thinking that's all."

"Well whatever it was keep it to yourself" said Dean dryly, taking another bite of his food. "You're being enough of a mother hen as it is."

"I am not a mother hen." said Sam indignantly and Dean snorted.

"Yeah, sure you're not, Sammy." he said, smirking.

"It's Sam." said Sam pointedly and Dean's smirk just grew.

Sighing and deciding he might as well quit now, Sam took out his own food and began to eat.

"Hey, did you pick up those leaflets?" said Dean after a while and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, they're in my jacket." he said, indicating his coat which he'd thrown over the chair when he came in.

Dean slid to the end of the bed and got up, wincing a little as he did so. Sam had to force himself to sit still and not immediately jump up and get them himself. He knew making a fuss about Dean's injuries would only make his brother even more stubborn.

Dean could feel Sam watching him and forced himself not to hold his side as he walked. It was feeling a little better than it had when he'd first left the hospital, but it was still really sore and any sudden movement resulted in a stabbing pain that literally took his breath away. He knew he was going to have to take it easy and let things heal, but that didn't mean he was going to let Sam fuss over him.

He was pleased when Sam stayed where he was and didn't say anything, and he appreciated it even more as he could see how much effort it took him to do that.

Even though he was trying to appear casual and not like he was watching Dean's every move.

Which of course he was.

Dean made his way back over to the bed and sat down carefully. He flicked through the leaflets Sam had picked up from the Hotel reception, picking out the one on Alcatraz first.

"We gotta do this one, Sam. All those scary guys that were locked up there? Can you imagine the spirits that might be hanging around?" he said, excitement making him sound like a kid.

Sam shook his head. "We're supposed to be on vacation, Dean, not looking for spirits." he said warningly.

"Oh come on, don't be a spoilsport. I didn't say we were gonna have to hunt any of them. It'd just be cool to see it, that's all. We can't come to San Francisco and not see Alcatraz." said Dean, looking at Sam with a hopeful look on his face.

"Fine, we'll do Alcatraz. But the first sign of a spirit we are outta there, got it? You're supposed to be resting and you promised." said Sam, pointing warningly at Dean.

"Cross my heart." said Dean sincerely, looking pleased with himself.

By the time they'd finished eating Dean was starting to flag. He'd looked through all the leaflets on the tourist attractions they were going to visit in the next week and had put the tv on again, although his eyelids were drooping even as he watched.

Sam kept glancing over as he watched the film with one eye and Dean with the other. After about half an hour Dean was practically asleep.

"Why don't you go to bed?" he said softly and Dean jumped and looked over at him blearily.

"What? I'm watching this." he said, waving his hand in the direction of the TV.

Sam snorted. "Sure. You've been watching it for the last 30 minutes through the back of your eyelids." he said dryly.

Dean looked indignant but he had to admit he was feeling pretty wiped out. Grumbling, he got up and went over to his bag to grab the shorts and t-shirt he usually slept in. As he bent over and grabbed the bag it pulled at his side and he couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped.

Suddenly Sam's hand reached past him and grabbed the handle.

"I got it." he said quietly, resting his other hand on Dean's back gently while his brother got his breath back.

Dean would have protested except for the fact that he was concentrating on getting some air back in his lungs. Making a mental note not to bend over and pick anything up any time soon, he allowed Sam to help him stand up and gave a brief smile of thanks as Sam put the bag on the bed in easy reach.

While Dean was in the bathroom Sam kept one ear open in case his brother needed anything. He knew Dean wouldn't accept any fussing but he also knew he wouldn't ask for help until it was too late. He'd learned long ago how to tread that thin line between what Dean needed and what he'd actually accept.

On the other side of the door, Dean sat down on the edge of the bath to get his breath back. It was amazing how tiring something as simple as cleaning your teeth could be. He shook his head, glad that the bathroom door was closed. Sam would have totally made a scene if he could see how wiped out Dean really was.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Sam's concern because he did. He knew his brother only fussed because he cared and truth was he was exactly the same when Sam was hurt. That didn't mean he had to like it though and it was still ingrained in him that he was the one who did the taking care of, not the other way around.

"Dean?"

Dean jumped at Sam's soft call. He realised he'd probably been in there a while and had to admit he was impressed the door hadn't been kicked open already.

"Yeah, I'm just coming." he called back, standing up with huge effort and rinsing his mouth.

When he opened the door Sam was sat back on his bed, trying to look like he wasn't watching Dean out of the corner of his eye.

Dean couldn't help smirking.

"I gotta admit, I'm impressed Sammy." he said and Sam frowned as he looked over at him.

"Impressed by what?" he said and Dean's smirk grew wider.

"That you didn't offer to wipe my ass for me." he said dryly.

"Hilarious, Dean. I shoulda just left you in there and stepped over you in the morning." said Sam, even though they both knew it would be cold day in hell before that ever happened.

Dean smirked as he threw his clothes on the chair and got into bed, carefully. It felt good to lie down in a bed that actually had soft sheets and a mattress that didn't feel like there was a quarry full of rocks hidden in it. He heard Sam switch off the tv and head into the bathroom himself. By the time Sam came out again, he was already dozing. He heard his brother come over and stand next to the bed, and could just picture the worried expression that would be on his face as he stood there. He wanted to tell Sam to stop worrying but opening his eyes or speaking required far too much effort right now. Instead he endured the scrutiny silently and made a mental note to slap Sam upside the head later.

Of course Sam wasn't content to just look and Dean suddenly felt the blankets being pulled up and moved closer around him.

_Oh, you so did not just tuck me in_ he thought but that was of course exactly what Sam had just done.

He was _really _gonna slap him upside the head in the morning.

Unaware of his impending bodily harm and satisfied that Dean was now warm and comfortable, Sam got into his own bed. Switching off the lamp he sank into the soft mattress with a sigh of contentment.

Maybe this whole tourist thing might be fun after all.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Dean woke the next morning sunlight was already filtering through the hotel room curtains. He glanced over at Sam's bed and saw it was empty, but he could hear the shower running so it was obvious where his brother was. Relishing the fact that they didn't have to be rushing to get on the road or deal with a hunt, he stretched out – wincing as his side twinged a little – and sank back into the soft pillows with a happy sigh.

A few moments later the bathroom door opened and Sam came out in a cloud of steam. Dean opened his eyes again.

"Morning, Sam." he said and Sam turned to look at him, grinning when he saw Dean was awake.

"Hey – about time." he said dryly. "I was starting to think you were going to miss breakfast completely."

Dean's expression brightened. "I forgot about that." he said. They were so used to staying in backwater motels that a hotel where things like comfortable beds and breakfast were included was a real luxury.

As he got up he glanced briefly at Sam, noting that the bruises on his face were starting to fade already.

"How's the head?" he said, indicating the stitches that were hidden under Sam's hair.

Sam shrugged. "Fine. I haven't even got a headache anymore."

Satisfied Dean nodded and continued his way into the bathroom. Ten minutes later he was ready and they were heading for the dining room. As they walked, Dean noticed how Sam was still adjusting his own pace to match Dean's slightly slower one. He bit back the remark that was dying to come out, knowing his brother was only looking out for him.

The actual food was laid out buffet style and, despite a slightly heated argument, Dean was forced to sit and wait at their table while Sam fetched breakfast for both of them.

The whole invalid thing was definitely starting to wear thin and Dean had already decided that life would be getting back to normal in the next 24hours, whether he actually felt better or not.

It would be a shame for their first real vacation to end in bloodshed after all.

Sam was looking decidedly pleased with himself as he came back over and he put Dean's plate down with practically a flourish. Dean eyed the mountain of food, trying and failing to hide the pleased smile twitching at his lips. He did however fix Sam with an amused look.

"Nice work on the hunter/gathering there, Sammy. You want a round of applause?"

"Hey, I just don't want to spend the rest of the morning listening to you bitch about being hungry." said Sam dryly, putting his own plate on the table and sitting down.

"Well we have paid for this so it seems a shame to waste it. And I haven't forgotten by the way you still haven't told me exactly _how _we've paid?" said Dean, narrowing his gaze.

"Could you not just leave it alone and enjoy yourself? You were the one who wanted to play tourist, remember? I thought you'd be pleased." said Sam, trying to stop himself getting tense.

"I am pleased, I'd just like to know where the money came from. Unless you won the lottery and you've been holding out on me?"

Sam took a bite of his food and deliberately chewed slowly, wanting to avoid having to answer. He knew Dean would overreact about him selling Jess's engagement ring and he didn't want to ruin the mood when his brother was finally starting to relax for the first time in ages. As far as he was concerned it was more than worth it – he'd come too close to leaving San Francisco alone and since it was Dean he was dealing with, the best way to show his relief and affection was to do something nice for him.

Or try to, anyway.

Dean watched him, waiting for an answer. When it was clear one wasn't going to be forthcoming he gave a small sigh and took a bite of his own food. He knew Sam had to have been up to something to pay for all this and he wanted to make sure it was nothing that was going to haunt his brother later. He knew full well the hotel must be costing a lot, even though Sam wouldn't tell him how much, and their stash of money usually consisted of whatever Dean had been able to hustle in the last bar they'd visited. And since he'd been hurt he hadn't been able to do that, and there hadn't been much left in their wallets before they'd arrived in the city.

If he had to guess Dean would have said – given his brother's innate honesty – that Sam had sold something. He just really hoped it hadn't been something important.

Deciding not to spoil their first day, Dean let it drop. He'd get it out of Sam in the end and he had plenty of time over the next week to work on it.

"So we're gonna give Alcatraz a shot today then?" he said and Sam looked up, surprised to be let off the hook so easily.

"Yeah, sure. Looks like the weather's gonna be good actually." he said, not entirely trusting the subject change but taking what he could get.

"Cool. You wanna take along one of the shotguns, just in case?"

Dean's look was innocent but Sam wasn't amused.

"That's not funny, Dean." he said, pointing his fork at him. "We are not here to hunt, you hear me? We get even a hint of something supernatural we're ignoring it. I mean it."

"You are such a killjoy. In case you'd forgotten, hunting is what we do, remember? We see something, we can't just ignore it because it's not convenient. Dad taught us better than that."

Sam put his cutlery down, glaring at Dean now.

"Don't give me the whole 'duty' speech, Dean. It's not our job to save the world and I personally think we do more than our fair share! It's not too much to ask for one week off and in case you'd forgotten, you almost died a couple of days ago!"

"Would you please lower your voice?" hissed Dean, glaring back. "And I did not 'almost die'!"

Sam stared at him disbelief for a second.

"You're kidding, right? Do you not recall the huge metal pipe you happened to land on from a great height? Or the two hours you spent in surgery while they patched you up? Or maybe you forgot the doctor telling you to take it easy for at least a week, if not longer! Well, you know what? I remember all of it, including what it felt like dragging you out of there while I was covered in your blood! But, hey, that's not important cos hunting always comes first! Well screw hunting, Dean - you want to go find some spirits to fight with you go ahead but you can count me out." he said, shoving his chair back with some force and standing up.

Before he could get away though, Dean grabbed his arm.

"Sit down, Sam." he said and when Sam tried to pull away still, he tightened his grip.

"Please?" he said softly.

Sam swallowed, his anger leaving as quickly as it had come. He sat back down again, pulling his arm out of Dean's grip and studying the table cloth like it was the most fascinating thing he'd seen in a long time.

"Sam."

Reluctantly Sam looked up and saw Dean was looking more sad than angry, which made him feel even worse. Here he was, supposedly giving his brother the vacation he never had a chance to have, and instead he was yelling at him over breakfast.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly and Dean gave him a quick smile.

"Me too, Sammy. Look, I wasn't saying I wanted to go out hunting – especially since I was the one who suggested taking a break in the first place. I was just saying _if_ we saw something we'd have to look into it, that's all. Hey, chances are there'll be nothing there. The number of tourists go tramping through that place? No sane spirit would want to hang around, right?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

He picked up his knife and fork again, using them to gesture at Dean's plate.

"Eat your food before it gets cold." he said and Dean gave him a look that clearly said he wasn't five years old. Sam just smirked.

Fortunately the rest of breakfast passed without incident. Sam made a mental note to keep a better grip on his temper over the next few days. He knew Dean hated being sick or injured so he was bound to be crankier than usual. If Sam had a short fuse as well they were likely to end up killing each other before the week was out.

A little while later Dean sat in the lobby, waiting for Sam to come down with their coats from the room. Given the little scene over the breakfast table he wasn't going to risk suggesting fetching his own coat for fear of a total meltdown on his brother's part.

He mentally kicked himself for not realising Sam was finding it harder to deal with what had happened during than earthquake than he'd let on. Dean had had the easy part really, since he'd been unconscious for most of the escape from the ruined building and during his surgery. It was Sam who'd had to shoulder the responsibility for getting them to safety, and who'd then had to pace the hospital waiting room afterwards.

It was no wonder he was a little on edge still.

Dean had only been half joking about encountering any spirits in the old prison but now he found himself hoping they didn't see anything. Sam needed a break as much as he did.

Glancing up he saw Sam coming out of the elevator and stood up, slowly. He'd made the mistake of moving too quickly more than once since he'd left the hospital and was in no rush to repeat the experience. He held out his hand for his jacket before Sam could have a chance to offer to help him on with it. His brother looked a little reluctant, but handed it over without comment.

"You got the leaflet?" Dean said as he put it on, silently amused by the way Sam was clearly forcing himself not to reach out and give him a hand.

"Yeah, I got it. There's a boat leaves in forty five minutes so we should be able to catch that one. The harbour's only ten minutes away." said Sam, relieved when Dean finally had both his arms through the sleeves with only a small grimace.

"Let's go, then." said Dean and Sam couldn't help smiling at his brother's enthusiasm. He was definitely getting scarily into the whole tourist thing.

Pocketing the leaflet he quickened his step to make sure he reached the door first and held it open for Dean, ignoring the glare he got in return.

"Hey, before we go I just want to check on the car." said Dean as he walked past and Sam gave a long suffering sigh.

They'd nearly not checked into the hotel at all the previous day thanks to Dean's obsession with his 'baby'. He could still recall the scene vividly as they'd pulled up outside and the guy from the valet parking had stepped up to Sam's open window.

"Welcome to the Grand Hotel, gentleman." he'd said as they both opened their doors and got out. Sam had smiled in return, not even needing to look at Dean to know his brother was regarding the guy suspiciously.

As the guy held his hand out for the keys Dean had frowned.

"Uh, excuse me? What do you think you're doing?"

The guy had frozen, shifting his gaze to Dean and blinking in confusion. Sam had closed his eyes briefly, as if praying for divine intervention, before turning round to face Dean.

"He's going to park the car for us, Dean." he said with exaggerated patience, inclining his head towards the Valet Parking sign.

"Well, how about he just shows us where to park and we can do it ourselves, Sam." said Dean with equal patience.

"Dean." said Sam through gritted teeth and his brother just raised an eyebrow at him.

Turning to the valet guy briefly and shooting him an apologetic look, Sam walked round the car till he was next to Dean, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"He's just going to take the car and park it in the garage - could you possibly draw more attention to us?" he hissed and Dean raised the other eyebrow.

"I don't know, do you think ripping the guy's arm off and beating him over the head with it would do the trick?" he said innocently.

Out of the corner of his eye Sam saw the valet guy take a step back and just knew he'd heard.

He wondered if it was too late to start telling people he was an only child.

Recognising the fact he was going to get nowhere with his stubborn idiot of a brother, Sam fixed a fake smile to his face and walked back round the car to the now extremely nervous looking valet guy.

"Listen, our car's a bit old and it can be temperamental sometimes – how about you show us where we can park and we'll take it there ourselves?"

The guy agreed with the eagerness of someone who has recognised his day could be about to get very bad and gestured towards the entrance of the underground parking lot on the left hand side.

Getting back in Sam started the engine and turned to see Dean glaring at him.

"Temperamental?" he said in a deadly tone of voice and Sam gave him a glare of his own.

"Don't push it, Dean. If you were a normal person we'd already be checking out our room by now."

Having steered into the space he'd been directed to Sam turned off the engine and got out. He opened the trunk before Dean could get a chance and grabbed their bags, noticing the valet guy hovering behind them.

"We, um, I mean that is – the hotel has a policy of keeping guest's keys at reception." said the hapless guy, his gaze darting from Sam to Dean and back again like a rabbit in headlights.

"Why?" demanded Dean and Sam found himself seriously beginning to regret the whole idea.

"It's just policy, Dean, they're not going to drive it." he said, using the same tone of voice he might reserve for a stubborn five year old.

"Then why do they need the keys?" he replied and Sam ground his teeth together in a way that had to be bad for his jaw.

"Because it's policy, in case they need to.." he tailed off as he realised his mistake and Dean got a triumphant look on his face.

"In case they need to drive it?" he offered innocently and Sam stepped closer to him.

"Look, if you keep this up they're not going to even let us book in – I thought you wanted to enjoy this vacation?" he said, injecting the same note of pleading into his voice that had worked when he was seven.

Dean knew he was being manipulated but he also knew Sam was right, he did want to enjoy their first real vacation.

Glaring at the guy with enough force to make it clear what would happen should harm befall his car he nodded, and Sam gratefully handed the valet guy the keys.

He wasn't sure which one of them had been more relieved.

He was pulled from the memory of the whole parking incident by Dean's impatient voice.

"Sam! Are you gonna stand there daydreaming all day or are you gonna come check on her with me? If we don't get a move on we'll miss the boat."

Shaking his head slightly Sam followed Dean outside and as they stepped into the sunshine, he felt himself relax. Maybe for once their luck would hold. It couldn't be that hard avoiding trouble for just one week.

Could it?


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N I should mention that I've never been to Alcatraz so I'm working on info from the web and many movies that have been set there! So apologies for any inaccuracies.. I am claiming artistic licence... :)_

"Wow, would you look at that? This view is awesome!"

Sam ducked his head to hide his smile, but Dean was too busy gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge towering above them to notice anyway. He was leaning over the edge of the boat as far as his side would allow, and he was clearly having a great time. Sam was having fun just watching Dean enjoying himself so much.

Although he'd be a little more comfortable if his brother would stop leaning over _quite_ so far.

He had to admit the bridge did look much more impressive from the water than it did just driving over it. It was such a recognisable landmark but seeing it in the flesh, as it were, was an entirely different experience.

The boat wasn't all that full, given the fact it was out of season and there had been an earthquake in the last few days. He was guessing that some tourists would have been spooked and either gone home early or were hiding out in their hotels. It was good for them though, as it meant they had plenty of room to get a good view as they crossed the river to the island.

"You ok back there, Sparky?" said Dean and Sam looked at him, realising he'd been so lost in thought he hadn't noticed his brother turning round to look at him. He smiled.

"Yeah, I'm good. You're right – it's pretty impressive up close. Do you know how they engineered it so the bridge doesn't collapse during an earthquake? It's pretty fascinating."

Dean pulled a face and held up his hand. "Thanks, but I can live without knowing. I swear you're like a walking encyclopaedia of geekiness." he said, shaking his head.

"Some of us actually like to know stuff."

"Yeah, and some of us actually like to get out occasionally."

Sam decided on a dignified silence and turned his attention back to the view. It was pretty nice, sitting there in the sun and enjoying the cool breeze as the boat moved across the water.

When it finally came to a stop they waited for the other people to get off first before following. Even though they weren't 'working' it was a force of habit to keep an eye on everything and everyone. Sam had found himself doing it even when he was at Stanford and Jess had teased him more than once for being 'on alert' when they were supposed to be having a good time somewhere. He smiled wistfully as an image of her face came into his mind. He guessed finally getting rid of the ring that she'd never get to see was making him think about her even more than usual.

Pulling himself back to the present he sped up a little to catch up with Dean and the others. Their guide was directing them towards vehicles which would take them up the steep hill to the prison itself. It was possible to walk it, but Sam nudged Dean towards the vehicles before he could even think about it. He got an evil look for his trouble, but clearly Dean wasn't in the mood for making a scene since he didn't actually argue the point.

It didn't take too long to reach the top and when they got there the guide asked them to wait while the few that had walked caught up with them. They had a great view of the prison now and Dean walked forward a little to get a better look. Sam kept one eye on his brother out of habit but also looked around, appreciating the warm sunshine and the fact that he could relax for a change

"Alright, now we're all here if you'd like to follow me I'll explain a little about the island and the prison itself as we go. If anyone has any questions or I'm moving too fast, please do let me know."

Satisfied everyone had heard all that, the guide turned round and began to walk towards the main structure.

Dean and Sam let everyone else go first, feeling more comfortable being at the back by unspoken agreement. As they walked Sam listened with interest and as he glanced at Dean he suddenly had to fight the urge to smile. His brother, who usually called anyone with an interest in the history of anything a geek, was listening intently and taking in everything the guide said.

Dean noticed Sam watching him and turned to face him, frowning when he saw his brother's amused expression.

"What?"

Sam tried, and failed, to look innocent.

"Nothing."

Dean scowled but let it go, having given up years ago trying to work out just what went on in that freaky brain of Sam's. He went back to listening to the history of the prison, surprised to find just how much he was enjoying it.

Not that there was any need to let Sam know that.

When they got inside Sam couldn't help but shiver, not sure if it was because the place felt so cold on account of no sunlight being able to get past the high walls, or because of the weight of history behind the place and all the terrible things that must have happened there.

Naturally Dean noticed the shiver and smirked. Sam didn't bother looking at him but elbowed him on the arm, albeit gently out of deference to Dean's side. Dean just smirked even more but he had to admit – even if only to himself – the place certainly was enough to give anyone the creeps. He briefly wondered just how many restless spirits there must be attached to the building and then just as quickly quashed the thought.

No need to tempt fate after all.

As they wound their way up the old metal stairs to the first floor balcony the guide warned everyone to watch their step. Once they reached the top he said that they were welcome to explore on their own, carefully, and they should gather back at the top of the stairs in 20 minutes time for the rest of the tour.

Dean immediately headed for one of the cells, grimacing at how small and dark it was.

"Nice place, eh Sammy?" he said and Sam followed him in, giving the room a disgusted look.

"Oh yeah, really cosy. And it's Sam." he said, wondering why he even bothered.

Dean ignored the correction, as always, and instead peered intently at some carving on the wall. The elements had worn away most of it so he couldn't make out the words. He was slightly disappointed, thinking it could have been some significant message from one of the more infamous inmates.

Of course it could just as likely have been 'Brad loves Carly' or some other equally inane comment carved by a bored tourist.

As they stepped out of the cell and walked along to the next one the quiet chatter of the tourists was suddenly shattered by a piercing scream.

They both froze, Sam giving Dean a wide eyed look, and Dean felt his stomach flip.

_Come on. Not now, not today_ he thought.

"Maybe it's just someone messing around. Or maybe they saw a rat or something." he said, sounding unconvincing even to his own ears.

The second scream sounded even more panicked and they were both running before they even had time to think about it.

They easily found the source of the commotion, arriving at the same time as the guide. The woman who'd been making all the noise was standing with her back against the wall, pale faced and shaking.

"What's wrong?" said Sam gently, having reached her first, and she just pointed at the railing.

Dean leaned over and winced.

"Ah, crap." he muttered.

Sam joined him and swallowed when he saw what had made the woman so hysterical.

Lying on the floor below, his neck twisted at an impossible angle, was one of the other tourists. The huge pool of blood round his head and the twisted limbs made it clear that it wasn't worth rushing to his aid. The guy was obviously dead.

They woman was sobbing now and the guide had his arm round her, murmuring comfortingly. He looked up at Dean and Sam, who both shook their heads.

"Guess he must have fallen." said Dean, trying to sound convincing, and the woman shook her head vehemently.

"He didn't fall. Something threw him. He was just walking along and then suddenly he was flying over." she blurted out.

The guide looked as if he thought it was the shock talking but Dean felt a sinking sensation at the word 'something'.

The others had reached them by now and people were talking in shocked, low whispers. The guide, although shaken, realised he had to take charge. Handing over care of the woman to another person in the group he asked everyone to follow him outside so he could contact the police. As the rest of them started to walk away Dean and Sam lingered, glancing down at the body one more time.

"Could be she was mistaken. Maybe the guy just wasn't paying attention and tripped." said Dean, slightly desperately, and Sam looked at him incredulously.

"Right, he tripped and fell over the chest high railing." he said and Dean sighed, already knowing Sam was right.

This had definitely been no accident.

So much for their vacation.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam glanced round at the different groups of people huddled together outside the prison, all talking in muted whispers and looking shocked. The woman who'd witnessed the 'accident' was sitting on a rock, wiping her eyes with a tissue now and then and nodding at something the woman comforting her had just said. The guide was a few feet away, talking on his cell phone, and it was him Sam watched for a few moments with a frown before turning his attention back to Dean.

"He's calling the cops."

Dean looked at him and shrugged.

"Of course he is. Can't exactly drag the corpse back to the dock and pretend it didn't happen." he said.

Sam glared at him, not in the mood for Dean's so called humour.

"That means they're going to be _here_, Dean. Asking questions. Of all of us."

Dean finally caught the anxious tone in Sam's voice and, realising what the problem was, clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Look, we just give the alias we're using at the hotel, say we didn't see anything and it'll be fine. It's not like we haven't got an alibi, Sam. We were way on the other side of the place and that women saw it happen. She can vouch for the fact no one else was involved."

Sam wasn't convinced.

"I still don't like it. What if one of them has seen your face on the wanted list? What if they decide to search a little more thoroughly into everyone's background? This is the last thing we need."

Dean sighed. Sometimes Sam really did think too much.

"Yeah, you're right, all that could happen. Or there could be another earthquake and we all get swallowed up when San Francisco disappears into a big ass hole. Could you be a little more paranoid about all this?" he said with a slightly exasperated look on his face.

"I'm not being paranoid, I just don't want to take the chance of you ending up in jail. This is supposed to be a vacation." said Sam despondently and Dean grimaced.

It really was unfair that they hadn't even been able to make it 24 hours without something going wrong.

"I appreciate the thought but, dude, you gotta relax. You seem this jumpy when they're talking to us they really will think we're up to something." he said, trying to sound reassuring.

Sam didn't look happy but he did attempt to lower his shoulders a little, leaning back on the wall they were next to and trying to look like just another slightly traumatised tourist.

Dean of course looked utterly unconcerned by the whole thing, leaning on the wall in his customary slouch. Sam wondered how he did it. Whatever happened Dean rarely seemed to get rattled.

Trying - not for the first time in his life - to emulate his big brother a little, Sam took a couple of deep breaths and sent up a quick prayer that for once their infamous luck would take five minutes off.

It didn't take long before a boat pulled up and half a dozen cops came ashore. The guide met them and spent a few minutes explaining the situation then as two of them, accompanied by a forensics team, made their way towards the prison the rest of them headed towards the various groups of tourists.

Despite his attempts at calm Sam felt himself tense as one approached them and Dean put his hand on his shoulder, partly in reassurance and partly as a warning not to do anything stupid.

As the cop reached them Dean put on his most charming smile.

"Hey. How's it going." he said casually and the cop gave a brief, polite smile.

"We need to take some information from you, if that's ok." he said, already getting his notebook and pen out.

Dean knew the question was rhetorical but nodded anyway.

"Sure, no problem. It's a real shame what happened, everyone was having such a nice day." he said calmly.

The cop glanced up and nodded, not really paying that much attention. He did look at Sam for a moment and Dean, aware that his brother had yet to say anything, subtly elbowed him.

Sam glared at him before clearing his throat, trying to match Dean's casual tone of voice.

"Uh, yeah, it was a real shock. Poor guy."

Dean rolled his eyes but fortunately the cop was more interested in getting the whole thing over with than paying attention to Sam's apparent nervousness.

Ten minutes later he had everything he needed and with a final assurance that they'd be at the hotel till the end of the week, just in case they needed to follow up on anything, he left to talk to one of the other tourists.

"Nice work on the whole relaxed thing there, Sammy." said Dean and Sam gritted his teeth.

"Shut up. Let's just keep our heads down, ok, and get back to the hotel without attracting anymore attention."

"Hey, you were the one looked like something crawled up your ass while you were talking to the guy. But you're right, we do need to get back to the hotel – it looks like we've got work to do after all." he said, his voice dropping the teasing tone.

Sam bit back what he was going to say, knowing there was no point. Judging by the woman's description of what had happened the other tourist definitely hadn't died by accident and - vacation or not - there was no way Dean was going to ignore a job.

All Sam could do was try and make sure they came out of this one unscathed for a change.

The trip back across the water was subdued, no one really paying attention to the views anymore. Dean had already slipped into what Sam thought of as 'hunter mode', appearing relaxed on the outside but in reality already thinking about what could have killed the other tourist.

As often as Sam saw it he still found it kind of fascinating. It was something both Dean and John did, something that came almost naturally. Sam had never had it, for all the skill he'd picked up from both of them over the years.

He wondered which of them was better off when you thought about it.

They hung back to let the others get off first when the boat came to a stop, listening as the guide apologised for the aborted trip and told them that if they went to the office they'd all be given a full refund.

"I'll see to that. You wait here." said Sam, already heading towards the office with the others.

"Yeah, cos walking five feet would be far too much of a strain." Dean muttered under his breath.

If Sam didn't knock this off it was going to be one hell of a hunt.

As he waited Dean wondered what they were dealing with this time. He was hoping it was a straightforward haunting, which given the history of the place wasn't exactly impossible.

On the other hand he knew only too well that there was no such thing as a 'straightforward' job.

Still, there was always a chance their luck might be in for a change and if it was then they could deal with the spirit and get back to their vacation.

As he watched Sam walk back towards him, Dean sighed. Yeah right - there was about as much chance of that happening as there was of them winning the lottery.

"I got the money back." said Sam as he reached him and Dean managed a half hearted smile.

"Great. Not a total loss then." he said.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look I know it's not exactly what we had in mind but could be this is just a regular haunting. I could most likely manage it by myself."

Sam was impressed he was actually able to count as far as three in his head before Dean exploded.

"Are you kidding me? Did you knock your head in there? Cos no way you just suggested to me you go hunting this thing by yourself unless there's some kind of brain damage involved."

"I just don't think this is going to need both of us, especially when you're still supposed to be taking it easy."

Dean raised his eyebrows.

"You done or do you want to waste a little more time having this conversation? There is no way you are doing this on your own, Sam. End of story. Now why don't you go back to the hotel and start on the research and I'll talk to the guy from the boat."

Sam frowned.

"Why don't you go back to the hotel and I'll talk to the guy?" he said, seeing as there was clearly no further point in trying to dissaude Dean from hunting.

"Because you're geek-boy, researcher extraordinare, and I'm the one who's good at being charming and getting information out of people." said Dean with a grin.

Sam shook his head.

"Yeah, right. In your world maybe. Seriously, I think you should go back to the hotel, Dean."

"Uh-huh, and I think you should get a move on instead of standing here arguing with me. I'll see you in a little while." he said, walking off before Sam had a chance to reply.

Muttering under his breath Sam watched until Dean made it into the office before finally turning and heading for the hotel. He was giving him one hour. Then he was coming looking whether Dean liked it or not.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam sat back in the chair with a sigh and rubbed his eyes. He'd just realised that he'd read the same sentence four times without actually digesting it, and he'd spent more time with his gaze straying to the clock in the corner of the screen than he had reading.

Getting up and stretching he walked over to the window. Not that he was freaking out that Dean had been gone for almost two hours now.

Nope, not in the slightest.

If he was ok though, Sam was definitely going to kill him when he finally got back to the room.

As if on cue, Sam heard the door open and he crossed the room in two strides, sitting back down heavily and doing his best to look relaxed.

If Dean's slight smirk was anything to go by, it needed some work.

"Hey, research-boy. How's it going?" Dean said innocently and Sam ignored the question.

"Where have you been?" he demanded and Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, you really gotta relax. You do remember the part where I'm a grown up, right? Meaning I can cross the road unsupervised and everything?"

Sam didn't appreciate the sarcasm given the fact he'd spent the last hour thinking of all the ways Dean could have had a relapse or got into trouble. Attuned to Sam's moods as usual, and able to spot a potentially lethal episode at ten paces, Dean held his hands up in surrender before Sam had the chance to launch into one of his speeches.

"Ok, ok – just take a breath, would you? I was at the boat office, just like I said I would be. I talked to the guide and he was a total dead loss. Swore up and down nothing like that had ever happened before, totally perfect safety record, yadda, yadda." he said and Sam sighed.

"So it was a waste of time then?"

"I didn't say that, did I? If you'll let me finish, I was about to say I did have more luck – with Stephanie."

Sam groaned. "Dean," he said warningly and Dean grinned.

"What? Hey, can I help it if she happened to find me cute? I gotta say, the feeling was mutual – she had the best."

"Dean!"

"I was just going to say she had the best smile, Sammy. You know you really need to get your mind out of the gutter sometimes."

There was a thud as Sam dropped his head onto the desk. Sometimes he wondered if he couldn't find something easier to do. Like swim with sharks.

Dean chuckled to himself, entertained as always by his ability to frustrate his little brother. Never one to take it too far though he sat down on the edge of the bed and nudged Sam's leg with his foot.

"If you're done with the amateur dramatics, do you want to know what she told me?" he said and Sam rolled his head to one side to glance at him with one eye.

"You mean you actually got something useful out of her?" he said and Dean bit his tongue. Sometimes Sam really did make it too easy.

Resisting the obvious opening with some effort, he continued.

"Yes, I did. You should have a little more faith in me you know. According to Stephanie, the guide was being a little economical with the truth. She told me that they've actually had three incidents like this in the last two years. First time some guy had a heart attack, which no one thought anything of except for the fact his wife swore he had no history of heart problems and one of the other tourists there at the time talked about seeing the guy looking like he was struggling with 'something' just before he collapsed. Second one was another accident, least that's what the police decided. Young girl on a school trip fell from the top of a wall. She shouldn't have been up there and none of her friends could work out why she had been. The third was two months ago – this time it was a Chinese tourist, fell down the stairs and broke his neck. His girlfriend swore he was pushed but there was no one behind him at the time."

Sam sat up and looked at Dean, surprised.

"You got all that from one conversation?"

Dean shrugged.

"We went for coffee. I told her I was a reporter on holiday and promised I'd give her a mention if the story got printed."

Sam shook his head. Sometimes it was scary just how quickly his brother could have women eating out of the palm of his hand.

"So all of those deaths could have something paranormal behind them, same as our guy." he said aloud and Dean nodded.

"Sounds like it. I reckon there's only one way to find out – we need to go back there."

Sam shook his head.

"Oh no, no way are we running into this blind without knowing what we're dealing with. I'm gonna look up the newspaper reports on those other deaths first. Why don't you lie down for a bit?"

Dean glared at him. "Because I'm 29, not 89! Come on, Sam, I get that you're still wound up over the whole earthquake thing but will you please get it into your head I'm not about to keel over?"

Sam opened his mouth to reply but Dean cut him off.

"No buts. You get on with the research thing, if you must. I'll go see about getting us some lunch."

Sam bit his lip but didn't argue. He'd known Dean was reaching the limit on the whole injury thing so there wasn't much he could do without causing a major argument. And that they could really do without right now.

"Fine. Just try and get something decent would you?" he said and Dean grinned.

"Back in a bit."

Sam watched him head out and forced himself to take a deep breath. Maybe Dean was right. Maybe he had been verging a little on overprotective. He rolled his head round, easing the tension in his neck muscles. He'd lay off on the hovering, for now at least. If this thing was going to be sorted without anymore trips to the emergency room they both needed to be on top of their game.

He'd still be watching Dean's back of course. He'd just have to be more subtle about it.

An hour later he was scanning the last newspaper report while Dean flicked through the TV channels. Failing to find anything remotely interesting he gave up, switching it off and throwing the remote onto the other bed.

"You'd think the amount of money they charge for these rooms they could give you some decent channels to go with it." he complained, getting up and walking over to peer at the screen from behind Sam.

Sam glanced up at him. "They probably assume people have better things to do than stay in watching the TV." he said.

"Well, we do, it's just you won't let us get on with it." chided Dean and Sam gave him a mock serious look.

"Preparation is everything, Dean." he said, doing a fair imitation of John.

For once the reference to their father didn't make Dean flinch and he actually smirked a little.

"Yeah, yeah – since when did you become the good soldier?"

"Since we're not exactly at full strength given the fact you're not even supposed to be hunting yet."

Dean held up a hand warningly. "Don't start with that, Sam. We have to sort this out, you know that." he said and Sam shook his head.

"Maybe, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Did you get all the geek info you needed or should I book the room for another week?"

"Ha, ha. As it happens, yes I did. From what I found out, these 'accidents' only started happening after they did some work at the prison. A couple of the walls were unstable and they were worried about tourists getting hurt." Sam said and Dean snorted.

"Oh yeah, cos that worked out _so _well."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, sounds like they pulled down some of the structure and cleared it away – I'm guessing when they did that they must have disturbed something."

Dean frowned.

"You mean like someone buried there? That's a little extreme, isn't it? I know the place wasn't exactly Disneyland but it was supposed to be a prison not a graveyard."

"It's not beyond the realms of possibility though, there's always been rumours about the kind of stuff that went on there. Didn't you ever see Murder In The First?"

"The Kevin Bacon flick? Yeah, I saw it but I got bored before the end." said Dean and Sam shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised." he said dryly. "Point is, there could easily have been a death there that got covered up. And if so, then I'd put money on the bones being disturbed by the builders when they were making that wall safe. I'm gonna try and look up some of the records and see if I can find out who it might have been"

"Well, whoever it is they're definitely pissed. I say we get back over there, toast that sucker and get on with our vacation. What do you say, Sammy?"

"I say it's Sam, and don't go getting complacent just yet. When is it ever that easy, huh?"

Dean grinned. "Don't be such a pessimist. I'm gonna go sort out a few things, why don't you get the stuff from the car and make sure we got everything we need."

Sam frowned. "Sort out what things?" he said and Dean shrugged.

"Well, for one thing how the hell we're getting across there. Unless you developed the ability to walk on water and forgot to mention it?"

Sam blushed a little, realising he hadn't thought of that.

"Alright, but try not to attract too much attention ok? We don't need the cops taking a closer look at us."

"Oh, really? Cos I was gonna go announce to everyone what we were about to do. Is that wrong?"

He ducked as Sam threw a pad at him and left the room, chuckling.

Sam rolled his eyes. Pessimism aside he really hoped Dean was right about this being a simple job.

But, unfortunately he highly doubted that would be the case.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Dean looked up from the controls of the boat and fixed Sam with an exasperated glare.

"I swear to god, you ask me that one more time and you're gonna be swimming across, Sam." he said.

"You can't blame me for being nervous, we're not exactly a boating family." Sam retorted and Dean just shrugged.

"It's got an engine – how hard can it be?"

Sam closed his eyes and threw up a silent prayer that the gods of fate weren't listening for once. He was seriously beginning to loose count of how many times 'how hard can it be?' had turned into a near death experience.

As the engine kicked into life Sam opened his eyes again and shifted in his seat so he could grab hold of the side of the boat.

"Ready?" said Dean, glancing over his shoulder.

"No."

Dean just smirked and opened the throttle deliberately wide so they pulled away at speed. Sam lurched back and winced as his hip connected with the hard wood of the seat. The noise of the engine and the sound of the waves as they sped through the water would have drowned out any retort, so he had to settle for glaring at the back of Dean's head and making a note that he owed him one.

He hadn't asked exactly how his brother had managed to persuade the boat's owner to lease it to them for the night and he probably didn't want to know. He had at least made sure they weren't stealing it, as they could do without the risk of more police attention, and Dean had reassured him that it was all above board.

Except for the small fact they were using it to break in to Alcatraz of course.

Sam shook his head. Only they would end up in a situation where they had to break _in_ to the world's most infamous prison.

He winced again as the boat lifted briefly out of the water and came back down hard, jarring him against the wooden seat for a second time. Why on earth didn't they make boats with padded seats? At this rate he was gonna be black and blue before they even encountered the spirit.

Dean meanwhile was having a whale of a time. It was a pretty nice boat and the old guy had been happy enough to rent it out, especially as Dean had paid him over the odds. It still chafed to be doing things legally but he had to admit since the cops already had their names – albeit not their real ones – it wouldn't do to attract anymore attention.

If only for the sake of Sam's blood pressure.

The instructions on how to use it had been straightforward enough, and he'd always been good with anything that came with an engine. Now, as they sped across the bay towards the looming shape of the island, he had to admit that boats were kind of fun. Although glancing at Sam he had a feeling his brother wasn't enjoying the experience as much as he was, for some reason.

Even though he was having fun, Dean still kept his mind on the job. He'd deliberately not turned on the lights at the front of the boat, wanting to make their approach as stealthy as possible. They'd waited until it got dark before setting out and although it was a clear night there was no moon, for which he was grateful. The Golden Gate Bridge was easily visible to one side, lit up as it was, and there were a few lights showing on the island as well but that was about it this far out into the bay. There hadn't exactly been much info on the security of the place so they were winging it and just hoping that no one considered the old prison a big security risk these days.

As they neared the island Dean cut the engine and they drifted towards it slowly. He turned round to Sam.

"Pass me that rope, would you?" he whispered and Sam got up, grabbing the rope and handing one end to Dean.

"What are you doing?" he said, his voice as soft as Dean's, and his brother pointed to a small wooden jetty to their right.

"I'm gonna tie her up over there, so she doesn't drift away. Last thing we need is no way of getting back when we're done."

Before Sam could suggest that he be the one to make the jump Dean had climbed onto the edge of the boat and gracefully launched himself through the air. Sam held his breath until he heard the quiet thump of Dean's boots hitting the wood. There was a slight rustling sound and then Dean's voice drifted across.

"Catch."

Sam's quick reflexes saved him from a smack in the mouth with the end of the rope and he quickly threaded it through a metal ring fixed to the side of the boat and pulled. Between them they got it right up against the jetty and Sam tied off the end before hopping over the side and joining his brother on the wooden platform.

Dean reached over and grabbed the bag they'd brought with them, crouching down and feeling around inside until he found both flashlights. He handed one to Sam and as he straightened up they both stood still for a moment, listening for any signs of movement.

So far their arrival appeared to have gone unnoticed.

"How do you want to do this?" whispered Sam and Dean glanced at him.

"I saw a path leading up this way when we were here earlier." he said, gesturing to the right. "It's probably longer than the main road but less exposed."

Sam nodded, then realised that wasn't particularly visible in the dark.

"Ok. We should take it slow though, we've got no idea how many guards they might have here overnight."

"Gee, thanks for pointing that out. And here was me gonna sprint up there waving my arms round and yelling just in case they hadn't spotted me. Good job you pointed out the flaw in that plan, Sammy."

There was a brief pause.

"You done or do you want to stand around here and run through the routine a little more?" said Sam dryly, and even in the dark he could imagine the expression on his brother's face.

Dean said nothing though, despite the effort it took, and instead set off the right. Sam shook his head and quickly followed close behind.

Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness so they left the flashlights switched off for now, not wanting to risk being seen from above. The ground was uneven so they had to tread carefully and as a result it took them a good 40 minutes to reach the top of the path.

As the outline of a ruined wall loomed up in front of them Dean dropped to a crouch, sensing Sam do the same behind him. He winced a little as the stitches in his side pulled and found himself hoping that, for once, the spirit was gonna go down quietly.

Like that ever happened.

Reaching the wall he put one hand on the rough stone and cautiously peered over the top. He could see the outline of the main prison building and noted that most of it was in darkness. The light they'd seen from the water came from over to the left where there was a small hut, most likely housing the security guards assigned to watch the old monument at night.

He fervently hoped they were of the old and deaf variety.

Dropping his head back down he turned round, resting his back against the wall and leaning towards Sam.

"There's a hut on the left, probably where the guards are. If we follow this wall a little further we can sneak in from the back, that way they shouldn't see us."

He was close enough to see Sam's answering nod and without further discussion they moved quickly, but quietly, to where the main part of the prison began. Dean kept his hand running lightly along the wall so he felt when a big gap appeared. Risking the flashlight he kept the beam low and saw that the wall had collapsed inwards, leaving a hole big enough for both of them to get though.

Glancing at Sam he moved a little so his brother could see it and then ducked his head and stepped through. He was relieved to feel floor underneath his feet and stepped to one side to allow Sam to get clear.

Now they were both inside Sam switched his flashlight on too. He swung it round, still keeping the beam as low as possible, and realised they were on one of the upper levels. He shifted slightly, adjusting the weight on his back of the bag he'd insisted on being the one to carry, and turned to Dean.

"So what now?"

"Did the article you read happen to mention where the wall they repaired was?" he asked and Sam gave a wry grin.

"What do you think?"

Dean sighed. Of course, that would be too easy.

"Alright, we'll check up here first then work our way down. I just hope they haven't had more than one wall needing work on it or we're gonna be here all night." he said and Sam grimaced.

"Don't even joke about it." he said.

Dean smirked and indicated with his flashlight that Sam go to the left. Sam however waited till Dean met his eye and tried to telegraph with a look that he be careful. The message must have got across as Dean nodded and clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder briefly in his own version of 'watch your back' before heading off to the right.

As he crept along Dean scanned every inch of the wall he was following for signs of fresh brickwork. He really hoped it wasn't gonna be in the last place they looked, he was already thinking longingly of the comfortable bed and cable TV back in the hotel.

"Some vacation." he muttered under his breath.

Sometimes it really did suck to be a Winchester.

Sam was having no better luck on his side of the building. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly and mentally crossed his fingers.

"Come on, give us a break just once." he said under his breath.

At that moment he felt a rush of cold air on the back of his neck and whirled round just in time to see an appartion appear in front of him. The spirit grinned menacingly and even as Sam braced himself it lifted his hands.

"Ok, _so_ not what I meant." was all he had time to say before he felt himself flying through the air. Hitting the wall behind him he slid down and lay in a heap, trying to get some breath back into his body. As he watched the spirit make it's way towards him he realised there was only one logical course of action.

"Dean!"

Dean's head snapped up as he heard Sam yell his name.

"Well that's not a good sign." he said, already breaking into a run.

There were many ways Sam had of saying his name and that was definitely the one that translated as 'help, something is about to kill me!'

He rounded a corner and skidded to a halt as he saw Sam slumped on the ground with a shimmering image in front of him.

"Hey!" he called, attracting its attention, and when it turned round he saw the ghost was wearing a prison guard's uniform.

"You're kidding me – it's a prison guard?" he said in disbelief but there wasn't time for any further thoughts as it was now heading his way.

He backed up, keeping an eye on what Sam was now doing behind the spirit's back. As soon as he saw his brother bring up the shotgun he dropped to the ground, wincing as the shot reverberated round the building. He heard the ghost shriek and felt the rock salt fly over his head. Looking up a couple of seconds later he saw it was gone.

Sam staggered to his feet and grabbed the bag he'd dropped, keeping the shotgun in his hand. Dean got to his feet too and quickly went over to him.

"You ok?" he said and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, just bruised my pride. You think the guards heard that?" he said, straining to hear if there were any noises from outside.

Dean grimaced.

"Depends if they're deaf. Come on, we need to find those bones before this guy comes back. Or before they guards come to find out what the hell that was."

As they jogged along the walkway both of them were alert for any sign of the spirit coming back. Sam was so focused on that he didn't notice anything else until Dean suddenly grabbed his arm, making them both skid to a halt.

"Hey, that look like fresh cement to you?" he said, pointing his flashlight at a section of wall they'd just passed.

Sam looked at it with a narrowed gaze and nodded.

"Could be. Hold this." he said, handing Dean the shotgun.

Dean kept watch as Sam took the crowbar out of the bag and began to break away the newer cement. He winced at the noise it was making but reflected it was a bit late to worry about being quiet after firing the shotgun.

He just hoped the guards were too lazy or too hard of hearing to come and investigate.

"I think I got something." said Sam suddenly and Dean turned round. Aiming the light at the now broken wall he saw the glint of something white. He squinted and frowned.

"Looks like bone but it's kind hard to see. No way we're gonna get through the rest of that brickwork though, not if the bones are that far back."

Sam stared at it for a second. Dean was right, he'd barely scratched the surface and the longer they had to dig for, the more chance of being discovered.

"Hang on, what about coming at it from the other side?" said Dean, stepping through into the cell that the wall backed onto.

"That might work." said Sam, straightening up.

He was just about to hand Dean the crowbar when there was a loud grinding noise and, without warning, the old metal door of the cell slammed shut narrowly missing Dean's foot.

"Woah! What the hell?" said Dean, putting the shotgun down and grabbing hold of the bars. He yanked on them but nothing happened.

Getting over his own surprise Sam pulled at them frantically from the other side but they weren't shifting.

"Perfect. Now what?" said Dean, meeting Sam's worried gaze.

"Look, you keep digging on that side. I'll draw him away from here and hopefully give you some time." said Sam and Dean shook his head before he even finished speaking.

"Oh no, no way Sam. You're not playing bait."

Sam raised his arms frustratedly.

"You got a better plan?" he said and Dean cursed. Once, just once would it kill the universe to give them a break?

"Ok, fine – give me the damn crowbar." he said and Sam hurredly handed it through the bars.

"You got the other shotgun?" Dean said and Sam nodded, taking it out of the bag which he then managed to squeeze through to his brother.

"Just keep moving, ok – try not to let him get too close."

Sam nodded, not bothering to mention that he already knew that. He was aware Dean was just worried about him. Not that he was particuarly thrilled at the fact he had to leave his brother locked in a cell with the spirit's bones.

If it didn't decide to follow him then Dean was a sitting target.

Before Sam could say anything else he saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned to see the spirit shimmer into existence.

"No one escapes. No one." it rasped and Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Wanna bet?" he said and with one final look at Dean he turned round and took off.

"Be careful!" Dean yelled, seeing the spirit fly past after his brother seconds later.

"Dammit!" he said, banging his hands against the bars.

This was so not going well.

Forcing himself back to the task in hand he picked up the crowbar and attacked the wall with renewed vigour, ignoring the pull on his side.

If the ghost hurt Sam he was gonna do more than just salt and burn it.

Right after he killed his brother for coming up with such a dumb ass plan.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N So I was checking on some stuff and suddenly realised it has been a year last Wednesday (23rd) since I plucked up enough courage to post my first ever story! _

_I can't believe it's gone so fast.. _

_Anyway, I thought in honour of the occasion I'd say a quick thank you to anyone who's ever taken the time to review my stuff or send me a message. It really is appreciated - I never imagined when I wrote those first stories that people would be so kind... THANK YOU... :)_

As he skidded round the corner Sam's right foot hit some rubble and he did what probably looked like a slightly weird version of 'Riverdance' in an attempt to stay on his feet. Undignified or not it worked and he sped up again, sparing a glance behind him to see if the spirit was still following.

"No one leaves."

It was only Sam's quick reflexes, honed through years of hunting, that stopped him running straight into the former prison guard, who had suddenly materialised in front of him.

"I really hate when they do that." Sam said under his breath, changing direction with lightening speed.

He could of course have used the shotgun to at least buy them some time but he was putting that under the heading of last resort. They had enough problems without attracting the attention of the guards.

However deaf they appeared to be so far.

Taking a set of stairs two at a time Sam felt his lungs and leg muscles burning and really hoped Dean was getting somewhere with the digging.

Cos pretty soon he was gonna run out of air.

"A simple job. Seriously, one job that doesn't involve one or both of us getting thrown round, or locked in, or friggin strangled. Would it kill you?"

The muttered words, apparently aimed at the universe in general, were spoken in time with each blow of the crowbar against the wall.

Dean could feel the sweat trickling down his face and the pull of the stitches in his side but he kept going. His mind was helpfully coming up with images of a dozen scenarios that could be happening with Sam and the spirit, and he gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore them.

Not that it was working.

He'd managed in the 10 minutes since they'd both disappeared to shift a good portion of the brickwork covering the bones and they were now at least ¾ of the way on show.

Dean found himself wishing the guy could have had the decency to be a midget. It would have taken so much less time.

As it was he kept going, knowing they had to set fire to the whole lot for the spirit to be banished. A few more good solid hits later and the skull began to come into view. Breathing a sigh of relief Dean drew the crowbar back and was in the middle of bringing it down again when the guard suddenly appeared directly between him and the wall.

"Guh!"

Dean let out the strangled exclamation as he jumped about a foot backwards, heart pounding. He glared at the spirit, trying to force down the slight panic at both the fact he was trapped in the small cell with the thing, and that it had come back without Sam.

"Something I can do for you?" he said dryly and the spirit took a step closer.

"No one leaves."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, do you guys get stuck on single sentences or is it a memory thing? Least you could do is vary it a little. Gets kinda monotonous after a while, you know?"

It took another step forward and Dean shifted back, feeling his heels hit the wall behind him. He glanced at the shotgun resting against the wall.

The one that was helpfully behind the spirit.

He sighed. Next time he needed both hands to dig he was gonna be holding it in his teeth.

Taking one more step forward the spirit was now inches from his face and Dean's back was quite literally against the wall. He tensed, waiting for it's next move, and just as he began to feel an unearthly pressure against his throat a voice called out from the other side of the bars.

"Hey! We're not done you know!"

Sam waited for the spirit to turn round, his heart pounding in his chest and not just from the manic sprint he'd just made from the ground floor. When he'd realised that the spirit wasn't behind him anymore, nor had it made an appearance for a while, he'd known instantly it had gone after Dean again. Despite his legs feeling like jelly he'd found the energy from somewhere to clear the distance between where he'd got to and the cell where his brother was trapped in about thirty seconds flat.

Sure enough he'd been right and also, apparently, just in time.

The ex-guard turned to face Sam, and Dean felt the pressure ease instantly. He could just make out Sam's face in the semi darkness, could easily read the mix of fear and relief there, but before he could say anything the spirit had turned it's attention to the younger Winchester and vanished, only to materialise on Sam's side of the bars.

Sam backed up but there was only railings behind him. Dean had a sudden flash of foresight, realised in horror what was about to happen, but he could do nothing.

With a slightly manic grin the spirit 'grabbed' Sam and with one hard shove, he pushed. Sam had a brief sensation of weightlessness and then he was falling.

"Sam!"

Dean hit the bars at a run, gripping them with both hands as if he could somehow make them disappear.

With one hunter now taken care of, the spirit turned back to face Dean.

"You son of a bitch." Dean said, venom dripping from every word.

Not even waiting for a response he grabbed the crowbar and smashed it against the wall, the adrenaline flowing through him adding extra force to it.

The brickwork shattered and the rest of the skull became visible. Reaching into his pocket for the salt and the lighter Dean covered the bones in one fluid movement.

Unfortunately it wasn't quick enough and he felt himself being slammed back against the wall as the spirit appeared in front of him again.

It lifted Dean's feet off the floor slightly, his whole weight held now by the hand around his throat, and Dean began to see spots in front of his eyes.

Gasping for air he kept his gaze fixed on the guard's face as with his right hand he managed to flick the lighter and throw it with complete accuracy at the bones.

For a second nothing happened and then they lit, the spirit whirling it's head round but too late.

It shrieked and for a moment the image shimmered but still didn't let go. Then the fire caught properly and the pressure on Dean's neck disappeared, leaving him to drop to the floor, coughing and gulping air into his lungs.

He watched as the spirit writhed briefly in the flames before exploding with a flash that blinded Dean momentarily. When he opened his eyes again he was alone in the cell, the bones still burning away in the remains of the wall.

Scrambling to his feet, and ignoring the many aches and pains now making themselves known, Dean ran to the bars that were still in place. He pulled on them, feeling some give that wasn't there before but realising years of inactivity and exposure to the elements meant they were now rusted in place.

"Oh come on!" he said, desperation creeping into his voice.

The image of Sam disappearing over the railings spurred him on though, and with an unbelievable amount of effort he managed to slide them back far enough to squeeze through.

Clearing the distance to the railing in two strides he gripped it with shaking hands and peered over, dreading what he was gonna see.

As it was the sheer relief he felt when he met Sam's anxious gaze, looking up at him as he clung on to the railings for dear life, was enough to make his knees almost give way.

"Need a hand?" he said, the smile threatening to split his face in two overriding the casualness of the enquiry.

Sam too was more than relieved to see his brother in one piece but was less in the mood for stupid questions. His arms were about to give out.

Sensing this, Dean was instantly all business. Reaching through he grabbed hold of Sam's wrist firmly with one hand, holding onto the railings with the other.

He really hoped they weren't half as rusty as they looked.

"Ok, on three I'm gonna pull – ready?" he said and Sam nodded.

"One, two, three!"

Sam bit his lip to stop himself crying out as burning shoulder muscles were suddenly stretched even further. He could see Dean's own expression was tight and could only imagine what strain this must be putting on his brother's still healing side.

Putting all of his strength into the move Sam managed to swing his legs up and get a foothold on the balcony. With Dean's help he somehow pulled the rest of himself up and clambered over the railings to drop exhaustedly in a heap on the other side, Dean right beside him.

They both lay there, trying to get their breath back and waiting for the sound of their heartbeats thundering in their ears to go away.

When he eventually had enough air to speak Sam shifted slightly, fixing Dean with an accusing stare.

"You probably just pulled out all your stitches" he said and Dean turned his head to look at him, raising his eyebrows.

"You're welcome. Next time I'll just leave you to plummet to your death, shall I?"

Sam clenched his jaw, knowing he couldn't exactly argue with the fact Dean had just saved his life.

"Let me check." he said in the end, reaching for Dean's jacket.

Dean batted his hand away.

"Forget it, Sammy. You can check back at the hotel if you must - unless you want to still be here when those guards finally come along?"

Realising Dean had a point Sam reluctantly dropped the issue of the stitches and pulled himself to his feet, reaching out to help Dean up.

Once upright, albeit on shaky legs, they quickly gathered up their stuff and headed back towards the broken wall where they'd come in. Dean went first, cautiously looking round for any sign of company.

Amazingly there was still no sign of the island's guards having heard anything. Not wanting to push their luck they hurried back down to the jetty, taking half the time they had to get up the path in the first place.

Dean grinned when he saw the boat was still there, and they wasted no time getting in and pushing off. Dean waited until they were a little way from the island before he started the engine and as they sped across the bay Sam kept his gaze fixed on the island, waiting for any sign of an alarm being raised.

Miraculously there was none, and twenty minutes later the boat was moored where it should be again, the keys had been left in the mailbox as arranged, and the weapons were back in the trunk of the Impala.

As Dean opened the door to the hotel room he sighed happily, anticipating a hot bath and a soft bed. In that order.

Not even giving Sam a chance to object Dean grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Sam frowned but there wasn't much he could do. Not that that meant he wasn't checking those stitches just as soon as Dean came out again.

Shrugging off his jacket Sam sank down into one of the chairs and let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan. Leaning all the way back so his head was resting on the cushioned upholstery he closed his eyes.

He was still sat there when Dean came out of the bedroom in a cloud of steam and he grinned, shaking his head at the fact Sam had apparently fallen asleep.

Dropping his dirt covered clothes in the corner Dean carried on rubbing his hair dry with the towel and made his way over to Sam.

"Sammy!"

The loud exclamation of his name coupled with the whack on his leg had Sam leaping straight up before his eyes had even opened.

Weaving slightly on his feet he blinked disorientedly for a few seconds before finally spotting Dean, bent over as he laughed hard.

"Oh man! You should have seen your face!" he wheezed, clutching his side as he tried to stop laughing.

Sam glared at him.

"Hilarious, Dean. Just remember you gotta sleep sometime too, dude." he said, trying to regain some dignity as he made his way to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

Ignoring the threat Dean continued to chuckle. He was gonna be able to survive on that one for a few days at least.

It was just a shame he hadn't had a camera handy.

By the time Sam came out of the bathroom Dean was laying on his bed, one arm behind his head as he watched a car auction on TV.

"You shoulda seen how much they just sold a 67 Impala for, Sam. It wasn't even as nice as my baby." he said, shaking his head. "Not that we'd ever sell her of course."

Sam glanced at the TV and shrugged.

"Not that we could, unless you want to try explaining what all those weapons-shaped compartments are in the trunk." he said and Dean grinned.

"True. So how you doing? Anything we need to get checked out?" he said looking at Sam appraisingly and Sam shook his head.

"Nah, just the usual bruises. Although I think I can now tie my shoelaces without bending down." he said and Dean nearly choked on the coffee he'd just taken a sip of.

"Well at least they now match your legs." he said with a smirk and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. How about you – you were gonna let me check those stitches." he said and Dean sighed but sat up, knowing he'd get no peace until Sam saw for himself there was no need for another trip back to the hospital.

Sam lifted Dean's tee shirt and pulled back the bandage. The area around the stitches was a little red but amazingly none of them had been pulled loose, despite Dean's exertions in the prison. Carefully sticking the bandage back in place Sam let go of the tee shirt and stood up. Disappearing into the bathroom he came back a few seconds later with one of the antibiotic pills and a glass of water.

Dean pulled a face but took it anyway.

"Happy now, Florence?" he said and Sam looked satisfied.

"Yes, thanks. You still shouldn't have been holding all my weight like that though – you're lucky you didn't pull all of them out." he said as he sat down on his own bed and took a sip of the coffee Dean had poured out for him.

"Yeah, and like I said, what I supposed to do? Unless you were planning on testing Newton's theory?"

At Sam's disbelieving look Dean looked indignant.

"What? I did go to school too you know."

Sam smirked. "Yeah, I know. I just had no idea science was such a favourite subject of yours."

Dean shrugged. "It wasn't but our science teacher, Miss Kelly – now that's a whole other subject." he said with a grin.

Sam closed his eyes. "I don't even wanna know."

Dean chuckled at Sam's distress and turned his attention back to a particularly lovely Camero that was now up for bidding.

The room was silent for a few minutes, save for Dean's comments that the guy had been ripped off paying that price, and as Sam put his now empty mug down on the side he glanced across at his brother.

"Hey Dean?"

Dean looked over at him.

"What?"

Sam rubbed the back of his neck and looked a little awkward.

"Thanks. You know, for pulling me back up." he said softly and Dean just waved a hand at him.

"Forget it. It's what I'm here for, right? Besides call it returning the favour if you want." he said, and Sam knew he was referring to their escape from the collapsed house a few days previously.

Ducking his head slightly he gave a soft smile and Dean returned it before suddenly yawning widely.

"Well, if you're done with the chat I'm gonna get some sleep. We don't wanna miss breakfast tomorrow." he said, turning off the TV and sliding under the covers.

"Heaven forbid." said Sam dryly, getting up to switch off the light before getting in bed himself.

They actually managed to spend the next few days doing exactly what they'd set out to do – play tourist. Despite Sam's wariness – he was half expecting to end up on a killer tram or something – by mid week they'd both relaxed enough to really enjoy themselves. They did all the tourist stuff, including getting some passing dog walker to take a photo of them with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them, with a camera Sam hadn't even been aware they had.

On their final day they sat on a park bench, watching the sun slowly setting behind the bridge and eating a hot dog. In Dean's case anyway.

"I don't know how you can eat that – those pancakes we had earlier are gonna last me a whole month." said Sam with a groan and Dean grinned.

"I'm a recovering invalid, remember?" he said and Sam snorted.

"Yeah, right, when it suits you." he said.

Dean popped the last piece of food in his mouth and chewed silently for a moment, content to take in the view. He never thought he'd ever say this but it had actually been nice taking time out like this. Made them feel like a normal family.

Well, minus the whole Alcatraz thing anyway.

But tomorrow they'd be back on the road and back to work. Which he also had to admit would be nice.

He could only take so much normality before he began to get itchy feet.

Glancing at Sam and seeing that his brother was lost in the view himself, Dean shifted. There was one thing they still hadn't sorted out.

"Hey Sam." he said casually and Sam glanced at him.

"Yeah?"

"You never did tell me how we got the money for all this?"

Sam immediately stiffened and then forced himself to relax, although it was too later for Dean not to have noticed.

"Does it really matter?" he said, trying to sound casual himself and aware he was failing miserably.

"That depends. On whether it has something to do with that receipt from the pawnshop that fell out of your pocket."

Sam closed his eyes and cursed himself for not getting rid of the evidence properly.

"Dean." he began but Dean held up a hand to stop him.

"It was Jessica's ring. Wasn't it?" he said softly and Sam shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"No." he said and Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Ok, so you carry a lot of women's jewellery around with you?" he said and Sam shook his head.

"No, of course not! What I mean is, it wasn't her ring. I never got to give it to her, so that makes it just a ring. Nothing more." he said quietly and Dean frowned.

"It makes it more than that, Sam. It was the ring you were gonna propose with, dude." he said, sounding pained, and Sam swallowed.

"Maybe. But it never got that far so what's the point? It's just a reminder of what we never got to have, Dean, and to be honest I've got enough of that in my head. Besides.." he tailed off and Dean waited a few moments before nudging him slightly when it became clear Sam wasn't about to continue.

"Besides what?" he said and Sam looked up at him, his eyes suspiciously bright.

"By selling it and using the money for this, I get some good memories from it. I wanted to do something for you, not just because you got hurt but because you deserve it, Dean. This way I can think of all this when I think of the ring." he said, making a sweeping gesture that encompassed the view in front of them.

Dean shifted a little uncomfortably, not particularly wanting to stray any further into a 'moment' than they already were.

"But still – it was something that was important to you, Sam. I appreciate the thought but you didn't have to do all this, especially not when you had to get rid of it to fund the whole thing."

Sam shrugged and looked back at the view, unable to look at Dean for what he was about to say.

"It was important to me, Dean. But not as important as you."

Dean looked away and felt a flush of warmth inside that had nothing to do with the dying heat from the sun.

Trust Sam to go and turn this into the ending from a Lifetime movie.

Shaking his head Dean slid off the bench and took a couple of steps forward, taking a deep breath as he watched the changing colours in the sky.

Sam watched, knowing that his brother needed space as always when things got a little more emotional than he was comfortable with.

Which of course in Dean's case meant emotional in any way whatsoever.

Eventually Dean turned round and although he didn't say anything he smiled, and Sam could read everything he needed to in that one look.

Returning the smile and taking his cue, Sam got up too and wandered over to stand next to Dean.

"So. You know where we're heading tomorow?" he said, putting them back in safer territory once more.

"Nah. Figured I'd leave it to Research Boy to find us the next job." he said with a smirk and Sam gave a long suffering sigh.

"You're too kind." he said and Dean grinned at him.

"Yeah, I know."

Turning their back on the view they both started to walk back towards the Impala.

"I'm definitely gonna miss those beds." said Dean and Sam nodded.

"Me too. And the hot water. And the non psychedelic décor."

"Yeah, it is nice not to have to wear sunglasses inside." said Dean wryly. "Still, we can't laze around forever."

Sam sighed. "I know. It's just nice to go a few days without something actually trying to kill us." he said.

"Yeah, but you know that'd get boring after a while." said Dean as they reached the car and Sam gave him an incredulous look.

"You know it really wouldn't." he said and Dean just grinned at him as he slid inside the driver's seat.

Shaking his head at the weird way his brother's mind worked Sam turned round for one last look at the view.

It really had been nice, being able to enjoy themselves without looking over their shoulders or spending time in the Emergency Room. It had felt good. The way normal families must feel all the time.

But as Dean knocked on the window and made 'get in the car' motions with his hand Sam smiled to himself.

Whether they were hunting or playing tourist for a few brief days it wasn't the surroundings or the activities that made them 'normal'.

It was the company.

As long as they still had each other, they were family.

And that was all the normal either of them cared about.


End file.
